Ukraine counter-offensive is 'turning point of the war', says deputy PM

Ukraine's deputy prime minister admitted that her country was "preparing for the worst-case scenario" in terms of Russian retaliation but that until now, Ukraine had not been taken by surprise.

Stefanishyna said Russian officials had reached out to Ukraine to negotiate in recent days but that her country now had more leverage and would only talk once it had reached its military goals. She noted that the Russians were offering talks now in order to stop the Ukrainian advance.

Stefanishyna expressed confidence that the Donbas region and annexed Crimea would come back under Ukrainian control. She urged European leaders to slap more sanctions on Russia, stating that the European need for gas and energy resources is also a Russian weakness and that those sectors should be targeted.

Finally, the deputy PM stressed that Ukraine had now clearly demonstrated it was a legitimate candidate for EU membership.

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